This invention relates to a walker or walking aid which is used by patients. More particularly, this invention relates to self-supporting walkers which support the weight of a patient and which can be forwardly advanced by the patient without the need for lifting the walker from the supporting surface.
Typically, walking aids have been constructed of a standing metal frame supported on legs permitting an invalid patient to steady himself in a standing position while holding the upper portion of the walker frame. Walking with the prior art walkers is effected by sliding the walker along the ground or by intermittently lifting the walker as the patient walks forward. In the past, many invalid patients have had difficulty in lifting or sliding the walking aid due to physical weakness. It has been found desirable to provide a walker which will support an unsteady invalid patient but will permit the patient to walk forward without the need for lifting the walking aid. To this end, rolling walking aids such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,274 to Breyley have been devised, as well as pivoting walkers represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,112 to Ries. Both of these prior art improvements, however, still require that the patient at least partially lift the walker frame, and thus the need still exists for a walker which can be used by patients who are unable to lift their walker and need to continually support their weight on the walker frame.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a walker which is self-advanced by a patient merely shifting his weight from one side of the walker to the other without the necessity of lifting the walker.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a walker which is provided with supporting spoked wheels on each side of the walker which operate synchronously to advance the walker as a patient's weight is shifted from side to side.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a walker which is provided with spoked wheels for advancing the walker a predetermined distance in a step-by-step fashion and will not inadvertently "run-away" from the patient.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a walker which is provided with spoked wheels for advancing the walker a specified distance determined by the circumferential distance between adjacent spokes.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a walker of the character described wherein the spoked wheels are replaceable with spoked wheels of different size, thereby providing a different, predetermined advancing distance best suited for the height and walking ability of a patient.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a walker which allows invalid patients to begin walking with the use of an aid sooner than is possible with conventional walking aids.
In order to carry out the objects of the invention, the spoked wheels are fixedly attached to both ends of an axle which in turn is rotatably connected to removable and adjustable lower front leg portions of the frame. The spoked wheel assembly, including the wheels, axle and lower front leg portions, is thereby removable as a unit to permit replacement with spoked wheels having different length spokes and/or a different number of spokes depending on the height and walking ability of a patient.